ENVIRONMENTAL campaigners say the impact of climate change will be a top issue in the run-up to the Local Elections on May 5.

Members of Extinction XR Cardigan maintain that their online survey of candidates for Ceredigion County Council revealed that each one had pledged that - if elected - they would work to promote community-wide engagement on decarbonisation across the county.

“This means communicating with the public about how the county can reduce and eliminate the use of the fossil fuels - coal, oil and gas,” said Philippa Gibson, a Welsh for Adults teacher.

“The candidates said they would do this through a range of methods such as citizens’ assemblies, public meetings, questionnaires, or leaflets.

Jane Mansfield, a retired nurse from Pentrecagal, who helped develop the survey said: “Interestingly, 100 per cent of the candidates who replied also said that they would actively campaign for public sector pensions to be divested from fossil fuels - as voted for by both Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire Councils.

“The world is in the grip of a climate emergency and the future of life on earth is at risk, yet our local government pension scheme - the Dyfed Pension Fund - continues to invest approximately £100m in fossil fuel companies, and plans to reduce those investments by a mere 7 per cent per annum.

“This is despite the fact that, more than two years ago, both Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire County Councils called unanimously on the Fund to end those investments entirely within two years.”

Nicky Burnett, a retired solicitor from Cwmpengraig, now campaigns with Divest Dyfed Dadfuddsoddi’ ,a group that encourages local councils to insist that their Dyfed Pension Fund should end their investment in fossil fuels.

“The burning of coal, oil and gas produces greenhouse gases which work like a greenhouse around the earth, trapping the heat and this is a major cause of climate change,” she said.

“The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change tells us we only have three years in which to start reducing greenhouse gases if we are to have any hope of keeping global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.”

Divest Dyfed Dadfuddsoddi aim to send an email to all county council candidates in the Dyfed area asking them to pledge to end investment in fossil fuels, as part of the UK Divest campaign.